


In Control

by pikaace



Category: Do No Harm (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Kinda graphic violence, One Shot, Torture, circadian rhythms, could be seen as friendship or slash, episode 10, episode AU, slight romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:10:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikaace/pseuds/pikaace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate to episode 10. Ian doesn't change back into Jason after trashing Ruben's office and decides to get answers out of Ruben the hard way. Will Ruben be able to withstand Ian's torture until Jason regains control?</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Control

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm a sadistic motherfucker and this scene would not get out of my head so I had to vent it somewhere. And I already do kinda ship Jason/Ruben despite having only seen a few episodes and I want more cute fluff between them X3

Ruben sat in the abandoned bunker, bound and gagged to the chair. How could everything have gone so wrong in such a short time? And how did Ian know what they were up to? ...What was he going to do?

Ruben hoped that he would just leave him here; the rubber straps holding him down weren’t that strong and could easily be worked out of given time. But fate wasn’t going to be that kind today.

Ruben jumped as Ian practically slammed the door open. “Change of plans Ruben.” He said. Ruben’s eyes widened as Ian held up a syringe full of liquid. “Looks like we’re gonna be spending more time together.”

Ruben immediately began to struggle as Ian came towards him, muffled grunts and pleas of protest coming from his gag. Ian placed a strong hand on Ruben’s forehead to keep his head still, making his body flail even more in a desperate attempt to get free.

For a second, Ruben hoped for the same miracle that happened last time, that Ian would change back into Jason just in the nick of time. But sadly, his luck had run out. His vision went blurry as the needle slid into his neck and everything went dark.

* * *

It was easy for Ian to sneak Ruben out of the building since that bunker had a back door. All he had to do was drive his car around and stuff the unconscious man into the trunk. Ian drove to his house and brought Ruben inside, making sure all the doors and windows were closed, covered and locked.

Now, there was work to be done.

* * *

Ruben blinked as consciousness slowly came back to him. He was sitting up and he could barely move; probably just the drug’s effects. He was probably going to be feeling numb for a while.

He blinked rapidly, trying to get his vision back and realized he was in a very familiar bedroom. This was Jason’s room. He was strapped to a chair with duct tape wrapped around his wrists, ankles and chest, with a piece over his mouth for good measure. He tested his bonds, but Ian had done his job, making sure he wouldn’t escape.

Ruben began to shiver in fear; what on earth was Ian planning? He knew about what he and Jason were trying to do and he already resented him for creating the drug to lock him away. Ruben didn’t want to know how Ian was going to take out his revenge.

“Rise and shine.” Ruben flinched as Ian entered the room, his expression empty but murderous. “You sure are a lightweight; you’ve been out for four hours.” Ian said. “Don’t worry, I called the office and told them you weren’t feeling well; now we have all the time in the world together.”

Ruben glared at Ian, trying hard not to show any fear. He had to stay in control. Ian stepped towards him and ripped the tape off Ruben’s mouth, making him wince. “Where’s Jason?” Ruben asked.

“Who wants to know?” Ian responded.

“If it’s really been four hours, then there’s no way you could’ve gotten me here without becoming Jason again.” Ruben said quickly and sharply. “Your cycles are completely random-”

“Not anymore.” Ian interrupted. Ruben’s eyes widened in horror as Ian took multiple bottles of Jason’s drug out of his pocket. The same drug that he used to keep Ian away. “I found a few extras while I was searching your office.” Ian said, a smirk gracing his face. “I may be immune to it, but Jason sure isn’t.”

_‘Oh god…’_ Ruben swallowed. “What do you want?” He finally asked.

“Answers. That’s all.” Ian answered simply. “Just tell me what I want to know, about you, about Jason, what you do for us, and you’re home free.” Ruben’s breathing became more frantic as Ian pulled out a large knife, most likely taken from the kitchen. “If you don’t tell me, well, we can do this the fun way.”

Ruben flinched away as the cold metal brushed his skin. He was so screwed. He was dead. Without Jason there was no hope of getting out of this unscathed. But even so… “I told you, I don’t know anything.”

Ian took the knife away and his eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.” He said. Ruben barely processed Ian’s fist connecting with his cheek, making him see stars. Ian punched him again and grasped his neck, forcing him to look at him. “Where are your files on me and Jason?”

“I...I don’t know.” Ruben managed. This time, Ian’s fist connected with his stomach, making Ruben curl over as much as he could with his restraints. Ruben bite back a yelp as Ian pulled him back up by the hair.

“Tell me where they are, Ruben.” Ian threatened.

“N...No.” Another punch, this time so hard that Ruben’s chair tipped over, followed by a sharp kick in the ribs. Ian then backed off, as Ruben coughed, tearing up from the pain.

“Alright,” Ian said. “We’ll do this the fun way.” He then proceeded to cut away the tape holding him to the chair and drag him to his feet. Ruben struggled to clear his half blurry vision as Ian yanked him through the hallway by the back of his shirt and into the bathroom.

“One more time.” Ian growled, holding Ruben up by his collar roughly. “Where are the files?!” Ruben didn’t answer again only having the strength to shake his head. “You asked for it.” Ian said, and only then did Ruben realize that the bathtub was full of water.

Ian shoved him down and Ruben was thrust underwater with barely any time to take a breath. Ruben struggled as Ian’s strong hands kept him pinned to the bottom of the tub. Bubbles emerged from his mouth as his breath quickly ran out just as Ian brought him back above water again. Ruben coughed and took a few deep breaths before he was shoved under again.

He desperately kicked and pried at Ian’s hands trying to get free, but Ian was just too strong. Ian brought him up again for an even shorter time before pushing him back down. By this point, Ruben’s lungs were begging for air. His movements began to become sluggish and his vision became spotted. Ian brought him up again and shoved him back under, relishing his struggles.

Fewer bubbles began to come from Ruben’s mouth. This was it. He was going to die. Just as he began to slip away he was pulled out of the water and dumped onto the cold tile floor. Ruben lay on the floor, breathing heavily and coughing, his soaked clothes clinging to his skin. He thought Ian said something, but he was too focused on breathing to listen. He felt Ian kick him sharply in the side before the bathroom door slammed leaving him alone.

Ruben slowly picked himself up and leaned against the sink as his breathing evened out. He hugged himself as he began to shiver, from both the cold and his fear. He had managed to keep the information from Ian...but now he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last.

Ian eventually came back into the bathroom a few hours later, Ruben in the same position against the sink. “Still not gonna talk?” Ian asked. Ruben didn’t answer and looked at the ground.

“You really are something.” Ian said. “Going through all this just to keep Jason’s secret; you’re a true friend Ruben.” Ruben still didn’t look at him; was this supposed to make him feel better?

“I’ve been thinking; I could torture you all day and night and you still wouldn’t break.” Ian said before shrugging. “Wasting my energy like that really isn’t practical.” Ruben finally dared to look up at him; did this mean he was going to let him go? “So, since I’m still pissed at you for making that stupid drug, I figure it’s time you got a taste of your own medicine.”

Ruben froze, “What?” He rasped.

Ian grabbed Ruben’s wrists and quickly taped them together tightly. “We’re going for a ride.” Ian said, hauling Ruben to his feet and out the door.

* * *

_(2 days later)_

Jason had never felt more terrified. It was bad enough that Ian had kept him under for what felt like forever, stealing two days of his life away. But finally waking up in his own body, with the lingering memory that Ruben had been with him when he changed scared him more than he could imagine. He came home to find his bathroom floor nearly soaked and discarded tape lying around his bedroom, but the small comfort that Ruben was nowhere to be found helped to keep him from having an early heart attack.

He paced his room desperately, trying to think where Ian could have taken his friend. It was no secret that Ian hated Ruben since he made the drug that kept him locked away, so Ian would clearly want revenge. He was already getting revenge on Jason by ruining his life, so how would be get revenge on Ruben?

His thoughts stopped as his foot nudged an empty bottle of Ruben’s drug on the ground, when a memory came to him. One sentence echoed through his head. _‘I figure it’s time you got a taste of your own medicine.’_ His own medicine...the drug that kept Ian locked away for five years. Locked away.

“Oh my god…” Jason breathed as the answer hit him like a trainwreck. He bolted to his car and speed off down the road, arriving at the nearby public storage units station.

He tried to keep himself from panicking as he got the key under Ian’s name and ran to the unit. He jammed the key into the lock and lifted the door open and there was Ruben, dirty and pale. The man curled in on himself in fear from the sudden light but his bonds made it difficult. His wrists and ankles were taped together and tape was around his arms as well, keeping him from reaching up and undoing the cloth that was tied tightly between his teeth. “Oh my god, Ruben!” Jason ran into the unit, kneeling in front of his friend.

Ruben flinched away as Jason lay a hand on his shoulder, “Ruben, it’s me! It’s Jason!” He reassured him as he pulled the gag away. “God, Ruben I’m so sorry!”

Jason practically ripped the tape off Ruben’s wrists and arms and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry Ruben, I’m so sorry…” Jason kept repeating as Ruben continued to shiver in his grasp, clinging to him like a frightened child. Jason silently thanked whatever holy deity that currently existed; he almost lost his best friend. As the pair sat on the ground in silence, Jason barely noticed the bloody message on the wall, drawn with Ruben’s blood.

‘I KNOW.’


End file.
